I enclose a copy of some of the entries in the Gillmer [2] family
bible. The bible is in my possession, but if you wish to have it I will
give it to you.

The entries should be of interest to you, as they give the dates of birth,
death and marriage of Elizabeth Birch [3] , a direct ancestor, and were apparently
unknown to your mother.

Assuming that the entries are accurate, they raise certain problems. Your mother
gave Dean Orr [4]
and P.J. Carroll [5] pedigrees which gave
Alexander Gillmer's [6] date
of birth as 7th August 1733, and date of marriage 16th October 1760. His
son James Birch Gillmer [7] is
supposed to have married in 1810, yet the bible states he died in 1804!

Dean Orr gave me to understand that your mother had an old Birch family bible.
I think this must have been given to her by Miss Eliza Gillmer [8] who died in 1934. Do
you know if it is still extant? I would be very grateful for a copy of
the entries. It may help to clear up a curious point. Your mother and
the above Miss Gillmer both believed that Elizabeth Birch [9]
was the only child of John Birch [10] by
his first wife, a Miss Baxter [11] ,
and that he remarried a Jane Ledlie [12]
. However, the Birch [13

[6] Alexander
Gillmer. I have dates of 1735-1773 and a marriage on 14 March 1760. These
dates need to be verified and cross referenced.

[7] James
Birch Gillmer is another James Birch Gillmer that we have not located.
Interestingly, my records show a John Gillmer having left the country
in 1804. This may be the source of the confusion- two brothers, both “J.
Gillmer”.

[8] Eliza
Emily Jackson née Gilmore died in 1938, so it may be that this refers
to another Eliza Gillmer.

[13] The
letter has at least one page that I don't have a scan of. It may be that
it no longer exists, or it could be simple sloppiness on my part. If the
latter, my apologies. Sharon Oddie Brown. December 2003)